


In Your Shoes

by Neighborhood_Nori



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Dance, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Opposites Attract, Sexual Tension, Slow Build, Soulmates, Uncle Levi, aunt hange, ballet levi, hip hop hange, levihan - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-17 22:48:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29973450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neighborhood_Nori/pseuds/Neighborhood_Nori
Summary: Levi, Paradis Studio's strict ballet instructor, can't stand the newly hired hip-hop instructor, Hanji. As a ballet dancer with his own complicated history with hip-hop, Levi only has respect for the more refined forms of dance. Can Hanji change his mind about her and her style of dance through determination, persistence, and her passion for dance?
Relationships: Levi Ackerman & Hange Zoë, Levi Ackerman/Hange Zoë
Comments: 32
Kudos: 50





	1. Drop The Bass

**Author's Note:**

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“Armin, your turn out still needs improvement.” Levi tapped the boy’s toes with his cane.

“Sorry, sir.” Armin replied meekly.

“Don’t apologize. Just turn out your feet more. Remember, it comes mostly from the hips.”

“Yes, sir.” 

Levi watched as the meek boy struggled to make his feet form a straight line, heel-to-heel, perpendicular to his body.

“Better, but have you been doing your stretches as I’ve told you?” Levi raised a critical brow. 

“Yes, sir, it just hurts my knees still.” Armin looked down at his feet, breaking his posture.

“Well, ballet is painful at times, but push through it, and you will become a better dancer. Keep working on it.” Levi walked forward to the next dancer.

A few feet behind Armin on the barre, Annie stood prim and proper, warming her muscles up with the exercises Levi gave the class. 

“Relax your shoulders a bit, Annie. Your form is good, but you look too tense.”

Annie released what Levi believed to be a small sigh of annoyance. Still, her shoulders visibly shifted into a slightly more relaxed state.

Levi moved on. 

“Mikasa.” He paused and looked at his niece, who somehow managed to have an even more serious look on her face than Annie, which was saying something. It was as if she dared him to critique her form. But Levi was nothing if not daring. “Let me see your demi plié.”

With her feet turned out to perfection and her heels planted firm, Mikasa held fast onto the barre beside her and bent her knees, lowering herself in line with her feet, then returning to a standing position.

“Grand plié.” Levi ordered.

Mikasa performed the same movement but lowered herself further to the ground before returning to a standing position. 

Levi nodded intently. “Demi plié to relevé.” 

Once again, Mikasa bent at the knees, but as she stood back up, she used the upward momentum to bring her en pointe. She performed the exercise three more times and then returned to first position with her heels together, feet turned out.

Levi nodded his approval and then turned to the dancer behind her, who was blinking in admiration at Mikasa’s simple yet perfectly refined movements. 

“Jean, eyes up and ahead.” He barked.

The boy visibly blushed as Levi caught him red-handed. 

Levi resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the predictability of the teenage boy. He was about to critique Jean’s form, but paused when the sound of heavy bass vibrated the hardwood floors, followed by the sound of people hollering wildly.

His class looked around, confused.

Levi exhaled through his nose and really did roll his eyes this time. He knew exactly where the noise was coming from.

“Continue warming up.” Levi instructed the dancers. “I’ll handle the noise.” He stormed out of his studio and into the one next door.

The second he stepped into the room, the combined smell of sweat and about fifty different types of body sprays and perfumes bombarded his nose. Not to mention his ears were practically vibrating now with the loud, steady boom of the bass and the shouts of the people within.

He set his jaw and plowed through a horde of teenagers dressed in various flashy shades of joggers and T-shirts with obscene designs and lettering. And of course, on the other side of them, was her.

Hanji Zoe, Paradis Studio’s new hip hop instructor.

She was fiddling with the backside of the giant speaker where the loud bass music was coming from. Her dark brown hair was tied haphazardly into a high ponytail with various random strands sticking out in nearly every direction. Her metal, oval-shaped glasses were perched high on her nose, a nose that reminded Levi of those he would see on Greek statues in museums.

“Moblit!” Hanji called out to her blonde-haired assistant standing beside her. “I can’t believe it worked!” She took her hands out from the back of the speaker and began bobbing her head to the loud music.

“Um- Hanji? You have a visitor.” Moblit motioned his head towards Levi, turning Hanji’s attention to him. Levi stood tapping his foot, arms crossed, teeth clenched at Hanji.

“Oh Levi! I didn’t even see you there!” She hopped up and tossed the pliers that were in her hand down to the floor. “And I can’t use the excuse that you’re short cause I was already low to the ground!”

Levi huffed and flared his nostrils, hoping she would get the message that he was beyond irate.

His hopes were obviously too high.

“Guess what, Levi? I managed to increase the amount of wattage that the speaker features between its receiver and it’s amplifier, and I was able to make this thing even louder!” Hanji laughed joyously.

“Yes, I can hear that.” Levi replied, practically having to shout to be heard. “It’s far too loud Hanji, I can hear it all the way in my classroom.”

“Well good! My music taste is often described as impeccable!” Hanji smiled at him.

“My students are trying to learn, and I am trying to teach, and neither of us can do that if we hear the profanities of your music streaming into our room.” Levi glared.

Hanji licked the corner of her lips and rolled her eyes. “Fine.” She turned to lower the volume on the speaker, and a chorus of ‘aw man’ rang out from the room. “I was just trying to see if I could dislodge that stick up your ass using the sound vibrations.” 

Levi ground his teeth. “Yeah? Well, next time, use them to figure out what frequency brains melt at. And then aim it at your head.” 

“Well, it’s not well tested, but it’s believed to be at 240 decibels, with persistent exposure, of course,” Hanji smirked.

“Perfect, then you have a new goal for that speaker.” Levi turned on his heels to leave. As he reached the door, he turned back once more to glare at the madwoman. She seemed to have paid his grand exit no mind, and was enthusiastically chatting with her assistant.

Levi returned quickly to his own class, fired up by his heated encounter with Hanji. His students evidently had been listening on the other side of the wall because when he opened the door to his studio, he saw them scrambling to return to the barre fast enough.

The rest of the class was rather uneventful, although Levi could swear he still heard the thumping of the bass in his ears. Perhaps he had just stood too close to the speaker when he went to confront Hanji. 

Thinking about Hanji made Levi’s face immediately turn sour. He would have to talk to Erwin about her. Again.

This was the third time this month he had to interrupt his own class to quiet hers. And Hanji had only been here one month. Never in his history at this studio had he had to so persistently correct a fellow instructor’s behavior.

At the end of his class, after mopping the floor to rid it of any sweat drops, he made his way down the hall of the studio and into the staff room.

The staff room was essentially a mini apartment within the building. It had a little kitchen, two private bathrooms, a lounge with surprisingly comfortable couches, and a cluster of desks with computers. The whole room and all its furniture were various shades of green. It wouldn’t have been Levi’s choice for interior design, but he had to admit it wasn’t too unappealing. 

However, the person Levi was looking for was in a private office connected to the staff room. “Erwin Smith, Studio Owner” was etched into a gold plate marking the door that separated the office from the staff room.

Levi knocked twice and waited for Erwin’s approval to enter.

“Come in!” He heard Erwin’s low baritone voice call from the other side. Levi turned the handle, opening the door to reveal the tall blonde man hunched over his desk, papers sprawled in front of him.

Levi cut straight to the chase. “It’s Hanji.”

“You’re filing another complaint?” Erwin looked up from his desk and quirked an eyebrow up at him.

“Erwin, you had to have heard what happened today. I’m surprised that damned speaker didn’t shake the walls and take this whole place down.”

“You’re being a tad dramatic, don’t you think, Levi?”

“Erwin. I can’t work with her.” Levi sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “She has no respect for other instructors, she doesn’t clean up her studio room properly after each class, not to mention she ignores all the rules of using the kitchenette in the staff room. Last week I found a bowl of cold spaghetti in the microwave. When I confronted her about it because I knew it was hers, her only response was to shrug and say she forgot about it. No apology or anything.”

“So, you want me to fire Hanji for leaving a bowl of spaghetti in the microwave.”

“Amongst other things.”

“Look, Levi,” Erwin began, “no offense, but you tend to hate new instructors for a while when they first start, and then you adjust and get used to them, and you work together well. Remember when Mike first started?”

“This is different. Mike wasn’t completely insufferable. And I can at least respect his dance style of choice.”

“Oh.” Erwin’s eyes twinkled. “So this is about your long-seated hatred towards hip hop, then. Not about Hanji.”

“It’s about both.” Levi shot back. “I just don’t see why we needed to bring in a hip hop instructor here. Paradis Studios is a respected _classical_ studio. We don’t need people- shaking their asses and popping and locking all over the place.”

“Is that what you think hip hop is?” Hanji laughed behind him.

Levi whirled around, surprised to see her as he didn’t hear the staff room door open.

“You should sit in on one of my classes sometime.” Hanji offered. “I’ll show you what hip hop is really about. Besides, hip hop brings kids into classes. Last I checked, I have the highest enrollment here, shortie. I’m what the kids want.”

“Erwin-” Levi scoffed, turning back to the studio owner. “-are you just going to let her-“

“She’s right, Levi.” Erwin interrupted. “Hip hop does bring in more clients. More clients bring in more money. Which can be used to send your students to elite competitions across the country.” 

Levi sighed as he listened to Erwin try and reason with him. 

“Not to mention,” Erwin continued, “hip hop is an exciting form of dance. You shouldn’t write it off so easily.”

Feeling ganged up on, Levi huffed as he retreated from the private office to one of the couches in the lounge.

Of course, Hanji couldn’t take a hint and leave him alone. She followed him to the couch and collapsed back on it a few feet away from him. 

She leaned her head back and looked at him out of the corner of her eye. “So, when are you going to sit in on one of my classes?”

“When hell freezes over.” Levi shot back.

“Oh, well, I’m sure you’re on good terms with the devil. Did he say when that would be?” Hanji grinned.

Levi could hear Erwin’s snort of laughter from his office.

Levi was about to tell Hanji that maybe she could just go meet the devil herself and leave him the hell alone, when the door to the staff room opened again, and Mike and Nanaba strolled in, laughing.

“I still can’t believe you got Reiner to do a near-perfect split leap.” Nanaba complimented Mike as she slapped him on the back. 

Mike simply smiled and shrugged smugly.

They both came to sit on the couch opposite Hanji and Levi.

“Classes went well today?” Hanji diverted her attention from Levi.

“Excellent.” Nanaba beamed. “If Historia and Ymir keep progressing the way they do, I think they could take national champs together with a duet.”

“Well, I finally got Reiner to be more aware of his space and stop slamming into Bertholdt during jumps, so I’d say my class went well.” Mike bragged.

“So you weren’t interrupted by Hanji’s booming music?” Levi shot Hanji a heated glare.

“Oh well, she told us she would be playing with the sound system in her afternoon class today.” Nanaba explained.

Levi grinded his teeth. “So, you told them and not me?”

“I like messing with you. You get this really intense look on your face- very sexy.” Hanji winked.

Levi scoffed at her teasing remark and looked away.

“See? So fun!” Hanji laughed. “And besides, shortie, even if I did tell you what I was going to be doing today, you would have either brushed me off and not listened, or you would have thrown a fit and refused to let me do it.”

“Are you two still not getting along?” Nanaba laughed. “It’s been a month already.”

“It’s all Levi’s fault! He’s a sour puss!” Hanji defended herself. “I’ve tried to be friends.”

“I don’t want to be friends with the likes of you.”

Hanji rolled her eyes. “Then at least accept me as a colleague. Come sit in on one of my classes!”

“No.”

“That’s a great idea!” Nanaba exclaimed. “Levi, you should see Hanji’s style. It’s really incredible. We’ve even collaborated for a few of my contemporary classes, working off each other’s ideas. You two might be able to collaborate as well.”

“Hip hop and ballet do not go together.” Levi grumbled.

“You’d be surprised.” Mike finally spoke up. “They’re both unique styles, but I’m sure you can learn a lot from each other if you had the chance.”

“See? Everyone agrees with me.” Hanji smiled triumphantly.

“Even an idiot can find someone who agrees with them.” Levi shot back.

Hanji turned back to Nanaba and Mike. “Do you see? Do you see what I have to deal with?”

“He was pretty nasty to me when I first started too, Hanji.” Mike laughed. “Don’t take it personally.”

“Or feel free to take it very personally.” Levi grunted.

“What exactly is it that you hate about me?” Hanji pushed. “Or do you just hate hip hop so much that by extension you hate me?”

“Like I said before, I hate both.” Levi answered bluntly.

“Well I can see why you’d hate me. I’m everything you’re not.” Hanji sighed. “Intelligent, beautiful, cool, good with kids-”

Mike and Nanaba both had to hide their faces in their hands to avoid laughing, as Levi felt himself losing his cool.

“But why hate hip hop? There’s nothing to hate about it.”

“It’s loud, messy, and uncontrolled. A lot like you, actually.” Levi shot back. “A match made in heaven, I’m sure.”

“Loud I can understand, but other than that, I think you have a great misunderstanding of what hip hop is and what it’s about. If you sat in on one of my classes-”

“If I sit in on one of your classes,” Levi interrupted, “will you leave me the hell alone outside of essential work interactions?”

Hanji put her hand on her chin and looked up, contemplating. “Alright. But I guarantee once you watch me dance, you’re not going to want me to leave you alone. You will be absolutely enthralled with me _and_ with hip hop.” She smirked as she looked Levi dead in the eyes.

Levi sighed and tried to ignore the way her look sent a slight shiver up his spine. 

He stood up and made his way to the door. Just as his hand reached the door handle, he turned his head back around slightly to say, “I can make your 8 o’clock class this Friday.”

“Perfect.” Hanji smiled. “I’ll look forward to having you.”

Levi retreated from the staff room, sure he would live to regret his decision.

\-----


	2. Deal or No Deal?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi observes Hanji's class, and as expected, gets more than he bargained for. Hanji proposes a bet of sorts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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A man true to his word, Levi entered Hanji’s studio a whole 10 minutes early on Friday morning.

That was a mistake.

He should have figured that hip hop students would be a lot less -formal- than ballet dancers, even in how they interacted with instructors. Within seconds of him entering the studio, he was approached by a teen with a closely shaved head, wearing all black except for about five gold chains around his neck.

“Hey man!” The boy greeted him. “I’m Connie! I haven’t seen you in class before.” As Connie attempted to strike up a conversation with Levi, Levi only blinked.

“So, what high school do you go to?” Connie tried. “I feel like you look familiar.”

“I graduated high school eight years ago.” Levi deadpanned. “I’m an instructor here.”

Connie’s eyes widened, and he began to stutter. “Oh- I am so sorry, man. I didn’t mean to-”

“Oh Hey! Mr. Ackerman!” A bubbly, brown-haired girl jumped up behind Connie. Levi recognized her as one of Mikasa’s friends, Sasha, who often hung around eating all the food in their house. 

“What are you doing here?” Sasha piped up.

“I’m observing the class.” 

“Ooh! Are you going to collab with Hanji?”

“No, just observing.” Levi answered, then muttered under his breath, “Over my dead body would I dance with her.”

“That’s cool.” Sasha nodded. “She always talks about how much grief you give her, I’m glad you guys are getting along now.”

“I wouldn’t say that.”

“You really do look familiar-” Connie squinted at him, still trying to place his face.

“It’s because he’s Mikasa’s Uncle, Connie.”

Connie’s eyes lit up. “Ohhh! That’s why I recognized you. You’ve got the same-” Connie stopped himself, luckily, because Levi was 99% sure that the next words out of his mouth would have been just as offensive as mistaking him for a high schooler.

It was at that moment Hanji decided to make her appearance.

She entered the studio with a flourish, wearing a black sports bra, a loose grey tank top and matching joggers, all paired with black high-top sneakers.

“Hi everyone!” Hanji immediately lit up, seeing her students gathered.

There was a chorus of energized greetings around the room.

Hanji’s eyes met Levi’s, and she smiled warmly. Her smile was so wide it seemed to take up her whole face. She sauntered over to where he stood and clapped him on the back enthusiastically. “Glad you could join us, Levi.” 

“Just remember our deal, four eyes.”

“Four eyes?” Hanji snorted. “Haven’t heard that one since the seventh grade.” She flicked the side of her glasses playfully. 

Levi willfully ignored her comment. “I’m only sitting in on this class because-”

“Because if you do, I will have to leave you alone outside of absolutely necessary work-related interactions.” Hanji recited. “Yes, I got it.” 

Levi squinted apprehensively at her before muttering a low, “Right.”

“But I stand by the fact that after seeing me dance, you won’t be able to stay away from me.” Hanji smirked as she began walking backward, facing Levi, to the front of the class.

“Yeah, I don’t see that happening.” Levi followed Hanji to the front and stood beside her as she introduced him.

“Some of you may recognize Levi-”

“Mr. Ackerman.” Levi corrected.

Hanji scrunched her eyebrows in his direction before continuing. “Right, some of you may recognize _Mr. Ackerman_ from one of his various guest appearances in our classroom over the past month.” She shot Levi a side glance. “He’s the ballet instructor of Paradis Studios, and he’s sitting in on our class today, so let’s show him what hip hop is all about, yeah?”

A chorus of affirmations and hollers rang around the room from the students.

“Alright then, let’s warm up, stretch!” Hanji took her place at the front of the room and led the class in a ten-minute stretching session. 

Levi took a good look around at the students and began noticing the differences between Hanji’s class and his own. For one, the students were much louder, but that was as he expected. There was a low murmur of various overlapping conversations as people talked while they stretched. It was very different from Levi’s classes, where students tended to exude a more quiet, focused state of mind while stretching.

The second thing he noticed was that Hanji was doing the stretches with the class. Ordinarily, Levi would just guide his students along and not partake in the exercises. It was the same way he taught his classes. Though Levi still danced plenty on his own, he almost never did a demonstration for his students, let alone danced beside them. He mostly used his words to teach them, explaining techniques and correcting their form verbally until they understood and executed the movement.

But there Hanji was, doing lunges and hamstring stretches with the rest of them. In fact, she used very few words, the class mostly only following along by watching her movements and mimicking them. 

After about ten minutes, Hanji stood and turned to address the class. “So, last class, we finished blocking the Black and Gold number. We’ve got the choreo down, now we’ve got a pretty decent handle on the blocking, and I asked each of you to go home and run through it in your heads or even physically if you could, so I want to see if we can do a complete run-through today. We’ll focus on the first half for a bit, then move to the second half, make any changes necessary, and then I’d like a few nice clean run-throughs by the end of class, sound good?”

By the time class ended an hour later, though it deeply pained him to admit it, Levi had to admit that Hanji was a great dancer.

The contrast between the more abrasive movements of the dance and the fluidity of the choreography transitions was somewhat mesmerizing, especially when Hanji was performing. He could tell how much passion she had for her art as she threw herself totally into her movements, making the commitment and following through on the execution.

Beyond that, what really amazed Levi was her ability as an instructor. He noticed how her passion deeply resonated with her students. She joked with them, made them laugh with her when they made mistakes. She even made a few mistakes of her own, but would simply make a funny face or do a gesture that had the class laughing with her.

She praised her students endlessly when they nailed a move, but was also just strict enough to keep them from making the same mistake twice. She danced right alongside them, completely involving herself in both their successes and their failures. They did everything together as a team. Her students were absolutely enthralled with her as an instructor, their eyes trained on her at all times, dedication and motivation evident on their faces.

Levi swallowed hard as he noticed a kindle of respect for Hanji growing steadily within him.

After class, her students, covered head to toe in a sheen of sweat, thanked her thoroughly, asking her how they could improve for the next time, what they could do to get better. Hanji answered each question and comment with a bright smile and that refreshingly genuine laugh of hers that Levi was starting to become attuned to.

To distract himself from the sudden floating sensation that occurred in his stomach whenever she laughed, Levi left the room to grab the sweat mop from the broom closet.

As he stepped out of the class, he heard Nanaba call to him, “Hey Levi.”

He startled slightly, lost in his thoughts. “Hey.” He replied shortly, walking towards the closet.

“Wow, you’re red as a tomato, Levi. Did Hanji get you to actually dance in her class?” Nanaba tilted her head slightly, watching him. “I thought you were just observing?”

“I was.” Levi continued walking.

“Then why are you so-” Nanaba’s eyes widened. “Ohhh.” Nanaba chuckled.

“What’s so funny?”

“She won you over, then. I told you she was a great dancer.” 

“She didn’t win me over. She’s still annoying as hell.” Levi grunted, opening the closet door and grabbing the mop.

“Right.” Nanaba teased. “That’s why you’re blushing so hard after watching her dance for the past hour.”

“I wasn’t watching her dance the entire-” Levi began to argue, gripping the mop tighter. “I was- it was hot in there- all those disgusting people sweating- that’s why I’m all red.”

“Okay, okay, no need to get defensive.” Nanaba threw her hands up. 

Levi began walking back to the classroom with the mop when Nanaba called out again. “Just remember to put me on your wedding invite list!”

Levi yanked open the door and stormed inside the classroom, running smack into a very sweaty Hanji.

“Oh sorry-” Hanji began before recognizing him. “Oh hey, Levi! What’d you think of my class?” 

The rest of the studio was empty now as students had trickled out. All her focus was now on him. 

Hanji looked at him intently and reached behind her to tighten her ponytail, which only managed to make her hair appear even messier. Her glasses were fogged slightly from the heat in the room, and before he realized what he was doing, he reached out to grab them from her face.

He began to use his shirt to wipe them off. “How are you even able to see out of these things at this point?”

“Moblit thinks I secretly have the ability to echolocate.” Hanji laughed. 

Levi just stared at her.

“You know, like how bats and whales do? Like-”

“I know what echolocation is.” Levi cut her off, finishing cleaning her lenses and handing them back to her.

“Thanks.” Hanji smiled gratefully and placed them back on the perch of her nose. “So tell me now, what did you think of the class?”

“I think we need to mop up all this sweat before I can even think of reviewing your performance.” Levi moved away to begin mopping up the puddles of sweat that had collected throughout the class. “You can start cleaning the mirrors.”

“Cleaning the mirrors?” Hanji pursed her lips together.

Levi shot her a glare. “You’ve never cleaned them?”

Hanji bit her bottom lip and looked at the mirrors. “No?”

“It was in the new employee handbook Erwin gave you.” Levi sighed. “I wrote the clean-up duties section myself. At the end of every week, you’re supposed to be wiping the mirrors down.”

“I guess I missed that section.” Hanji shrugged.

“Clearly.” Levi scoffed. “Go get the Windex.”

“Yes sir!” Hanji fake saluted and marched out of the room to the cleaning supply closet.

After taking a good hour to teach Hanji how to properly clean her studio, they placed the supplies back in the closet.

“Who would have thought floor polish would make the wood so shiny?” Hanji laughed as she placed the yellow bottle of polish on the shelf.

“Literally everyone that’s actually cleaned properly before.” Levi retorted.

Hanji stuck her tongue out at him, leaning over him to place the Windex on the shelf behind him.

Levi swallowed at their sudden close proximity. “You smell.” He noted.

“Yeah, obviously, did you not just watch me dance for an hour?” Hanji grinned, retreating from his personal bubble after the bottle was reshelved. She proceeded to follow Levi from the closet as he walked into the staff room.

He made his way to the kitchen and reached for the cabinet, pulling down the box of oolong tea.

Hanji, meanwhile, hopped up to sit on the kitchen counter beside where he was preparing his tea.

“Get your sweaty ass off the counter.” Levi chided, though with a lot less bite than usual.

Hanji, of course, ignored his order entirely. “So, now will you tell me? What did you think of my class?”

“Did you or did you not promise me if I observed your class, we would only talk in absolutely necessary work-related interactions?”

“That’s why I’m asking you, as my _work colleague_ , what did you think of my class?”

Levi filled the small electric kettle with water and flipped on the switch. He prepared a mug, and as he waited for the water to boil, he turned to Hanji, who was still staring at him expectantly. “Your style is- interesting.” He conceded. 

“Interesting how?” Hanji prodded.

“You dance a lot like how you talk. Loud, uncontrolled, a bit abrasive even, but-” Levi paused, swallowing his next words.

“But what?” Hanji leaned in a little closer towards him and caught his eyes with hers. This close, Levi noted her eyes were a rich chocolate color, and they were extremely expressive, almost hypnotizing. “Abrasive, but- graceful?” Hanji suggested, leaning closer. “Mind-blowingly agile? Passionate?” She looked him up and down briefly. “Alluring?”

The sound of steam erupting from the electric kettle pulled Levi out of her trance. Levi fumbled slightly as he lifted the kettle to pour the hot water over the bag in his mug.

“Ah, Levi. You’re so uptight. Maybe you could stand to lose a bit more control, more like me.”

“Hmph.” Levi grunted.

Hanji lit up, her back straightening. “That gives me an idea, actually.” 

“Dear god, whatever sort of ideas come into your head, I don’t think I want to know about them.” Levi watched as color seeped into the hot water in his mug.

“Let’s have a bet.” Hanji proposed.

“If it’s something along the lines of forcing me to do hip hop, I refuse. And no amount of goading or teasing is going to get me to cave.”

Hanji pouted, deflating slightly. “No fun. Come on, Levi-”

“No.”

“What if I call you _Mr. Ackerman_ like you insisted earlier?” Hanji teased.

Levi flushed red. “I only told you to call me that because we were in front of students.”

“Hmm, so you don’t have some sort of perversion for authority?” Hanji sighed. “That’s disappointing.”

Levi just stared at her, at a loss for words for once. He removed the tea bag from his mug and took a cautious sip of the hot beverage.

“Alright then, alternative deal.” Hanji broke the silence. “I bet you that I can teach your ballet kids how to dance hip hop better than you can teach my kids how to do ballet.”

“And what exactly would that prove?” Levi furrowed his brows. “That whoever can teach the kids the best has the easiest dance style?”

“No, it will prove that whoever teaches the kids the best is the best overall dance instructor.” Hanji explained. “Teaching kids who are used to one specific style how to dance in a completely different one is the ultimate challenge. More so than starting from scratch even. Plus, the kids get exposed to new types of dance. And who knows, I might send them back to you better students.” 

“Yeah, right.” Levi scoffed. “They’ll just come back louder and messier.”

“Well, I’ll sweeten the deal then. If you win and teach my kids ballet better than I can teach yours hip hop-” Hanji paused and pursed her lips before proposing. “I’ll quit.”

Levi choked on his tea. “What?”

“Well, you’ve made it pretty clear you don’t like me being here, and as much as I love teasing you and driving you crazy, it does get exhausting after a while, and you were here first. Plus, I’ve gotten offers from Sina Studios and a few others-”

“Don’t go to Sina. The kids are notoriously stuck up and prissy.” Levi interrupted. “Besides- I don’t want you to quit.” He murmured behind his cup.

“Hmm?” Hanji perked up. “Really? You don’t want me gone anymore? So I did enthrall you with my dancing today?”

“No.” Levi rolled his eyes. “It’s not that.”

Hanji leaned back onto the kitchen counter. “You weren’t just starstruck by how well I can pop and lock and shake my ass, as you so kindly phrased it the other day?”

Levi cringed as his own words were thrown back in his face. “It’s not you that won me over. I still think _you’re_ annoying as hell. It was the kids.” 

“The kids?”

“They admire you. They enjoy your class and your teaching style, and even your personality, for god knows what reason.” Levi sighed. “I wouldn’t take you away from them over my own dislike for you.” 

Hanji smiled at Levi’s convoluted compliment. “Ok, well, thanks. I think? Then, what do you want if you win?”

Levi thought for a minute, staring at the tea in his cup. “I want you to be quieter. And keep your class quieter when I’m teaching next door. And I want you to stop talking to me so much. And put that speaker you messed with back to normal volume settings.”

“That’s a lot of things.” Hanji chuckled.

“Well, you have a lot of things I don’t like about you.”

“Hmph. Fine. I’ll agree to that.” Hanji nodded slowly.

“What about you? What do you get from all this?” Levi prompted.

“The satisfaction of beating you, for one, because we know that’s how this is going to go.” Hanji grinned, as Levi scoffed. “And, if I win, I get to teach you some hip hop.”

“I already said I’m not doing hip hop.”

“No one else has to know. I just want to show you a few moves, that’s it. As you said, I’m a great teacher-”

“That’s not what I said.”

“It’s the gist of what you said.” Hanji shrugged.

“Pick something else, or I won’t agree.” 

“Fine. If I win-” Hanji paused to think for a moment. “Then I get to call you my friend and talk to you outside of _absolutely necessary work-related interactions_ , as you so phrase it, whenever I want.”

“How is that a prize for you?” Levi wondered aloud. “Why do you even want to talk to me more? We’re too different. Some people just aren’t meant to get along as friends.”

“I don’t think that’s us.” Hanji pushed forward. “You intrigue me, Levi. I want to learn more about you, get to know you better. And I think if you actually let yourself think for a moment about your own feelings, you’d see that you’re intrigued by me too.”

Levi just stared at her, noting the determined smile on her face and the gleam in her eyes.

“So, you give me three or four of your best ballet kids, if they agree to the extra lessons, of course, and I’ll give you some of mine. We can each have an hour-long class once a week, four weeks total, to teach them a group dance. I’m free Friday nights if you are.”

“I am, but-”

“Great! Then we can start a week from today, yes? You get your kids on board, and I’ll get mine.” Hanji held out her hand for him to shake.

Levi could not, for the life of him, figure out why he kept agreeing to do things with this woman.

“Fine.” Levi extended his hand to shake hers hesitantly. “It’s a deal.” 

\-------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Join the Levihan Discord server! A cool community of Levihan lovers that share fanfics, fanart, headcanons, and more! Link: https://discord.gg/CF5ycPaa


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